Seguso, Flach `Live For Davis Cup` Spot

Don`t believe those reports from Paris that say Robert Seguso and Ken Flach are not interested in playing in the Davis Cup final against France at the end of the month.

``We definitely want to play,`` Boca Raton`s Seguso said from the Paris Open. ``I don`t know where that story came from. Hopefully, we`ll get the nod. I think that we`ve earned our way back. We`ve beaten all the top teams.``

``We live for Davis Cup,`` Flach said. ``It`s always been the highlight of our year. We`ve never played in a final, and it would be tremendous to be picked.``

Flach and Seguso deserve to be picked after they defeated the French team of Henri Leconte and Yannick Noah 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) Friday in Paris.

U.S. Davis Cup captain Tom Gorman will choose among Flach-Seguso, Scott Davis and David Pate (who lost to Germany in the semifinals in Kansas City) and John McEnroe and an undetermined partner.

Flach and Seguso were 10-1 in Davis Cup play from 1985-89, before losing their spot to Rick Leach and Jim Pugh, who have disbanded.

It`s been a remarkable year for Courier, who began 1991 ranked No. 25. But then he won Indian Wells, Lipton and the French Open. He reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the final at the U.S. Open.

Becker lost ground after he withdrew from last week`s Paris Open with the flu. Becker won his first tournament in nine months when he beat Edberg (ending his season-high 21-match streak) in the Stockholm Open last Sunday.

Courier becomes only the fourth American to reach No. 1 or 2 since the computer rankings began in 1977, joining Arthur Ashe (2), Jimmy Connors (1) and John McEnroe (1).

Previously, 13 players have been ranked No. 2, with four players going no further -- Ashe, Manuel Orantes, Ken Rosewall and Guillermo Vilas.

-- Connors (47) has broken into the Top 50 for the first time since May, 1990... John (27) and Patrick McEnroe (31) are as close as they`ve ever been in the rankings... Has Michael Stich played too much this year? Stich, who has played a season-high 146 matches (71-21 in singles, 29-24 in doubles) withdrew from Paris with a bad elbow... The Paris Open, the richest men`s event after the Grand Slam, offers a purse of $2 million (Lipton is $1.5 million). ESPN televises the final at 3 p.m. today (tape).

-- Quote of the week:

``I kept hearing that the Braves were trying to bring Atlanta its first-ever professional sports championship. I guess some people have short memories.`` -- Martina Navratilova, who led the Atlanta Thunder to the TeamTennis championship in August.

-- Croatia applied for a separate entry to next month`s Sunshine and Continental cups in Delray Beach, but was turned down by the International Tennis Federation, which only recognizes Yugoslavia. South Africa will send teams... Anyone interested in housing junior players from the Sunshine and Continental cups, contact Robin or Gloria at 1-407-272-1010... Tennis magazine named Lindsay Davenport, 15, of Palos Verdes, Calif., and Michael Joyce, 18, of Los Angeles, its Junior Players of the Year.

-- Chris Evert snubbed her local fans again by giving exclusive photos of her son, Alexander, to People magazine, after her office originally indicated that the local papers would be invited to the first photo shoot. Evert gave her retirement story to Sports Illustrated and her baby announcement to USA Today. No word yet on who will get Alexander`s first word and first step exclusives.

-- Anke Huber moved to a career-high No. 15 in the rankings after she won Filderstadt, Germany... Gabriela Sabatini withdrew from Filderstadt with a back injury... Julie Halard won the Puerto Rican Open last Sunday, her first title, to move up in the Kraft point standings from 22nd to 16th place (the last spot to qualify for the Virginia Slims Championships)... Zina Garrison, who lost to Steffi Graf in Brighton, England, reached her first final since February... Navratilova could reach the 1,500-match milestone at the Virginia Slims of California this week. Navratilova has played 1,495 matches, more than any other player.

-- As part of the Player Development Program relocation to Key Biscayne, the USTA will conduct clinics for the public and disadvantaged youngsters, as well as hold seminars and sport science testing sessions... Nick Bollettieri has been named the USPTA`s Tennis Pro of the Year for 1991... Robert Jordan, the father of Kathy and Barbara, has written an instructional book, Tennis For Winners.